Valley Farms

Ross Dickinson, Valley Farms, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.40
Copied Ross Dickinson, Valley Farms, 1934, oil on canvas, 39 7⁄8 x 50 1⁄8 in. (101.4 x 127.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.40

Artwork Details

Title
Valley Farms
Artist
Date
1934
Location
Dimensions
39 7⁄8 x 50 1⁄8 in. (101.4 x 127.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — farmhouse
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — California
  • Landscape — valley
  • Landscape — farm
  • Landscape — mountain
Object Number
1964.1.40
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1964.1.40

Artwork Description

Ross Dickinson was a young artist employed by the Public Works of Art Project when he created this magical image of California's farm country. 
Water, green grass, and swelling earth conjure a bucolic utopia. But Dickinson introduced disquieting details, as if to suggest that danger exists even in paradise. The tiny fire in the field at lower right, probably set to burn dry bush, echoes a massive column of smoke across the hills in the distance. The hills themselves have the orange-red tint of the rainless months, when California's mountains become tinderboxes and fires can sweep down into the valleys. 
Dickinson's painting captures the fear underlying America's hopes for better days during the Depression.

Related Books

1934_500.jpg
1934: A New Deal for Artists
During the Great Depression, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “new deal for the American people,” initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt’s pledge to help “the forgotten man” also embraced America’s artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture “the American Scene” in works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. Although it lasted less than one year, from December 1933 to June 1934, the PWAP provided employment for thousands of artists, giving them an important role in the country’s recovery. Their legacy, captured in more than fifteen thousand artworks, helped “the American Scene” become America seen.